A tribe of modern crafters who have making in the blood

Designers

Late in 2016, the Modern Makers Retreat crew felt a yearning to create something special for the tribe of makers who have supported our burgeoning idea to showcase all things Australian.

So we chatted with some of our favourite Aussie designers, hatched a plan and, after months of hard work, we have a story we’ve all fallen in love with.

And so it’s with great pleasure that we introduce to you our collaborators in Girt by Sea:

Jodi Godfrey– Tales of Cloth

Jodi found quilting in her 20s after becoming completely enamoured by quilts made by her friend. She loved that each fabric had a story to tell, and the way they came together to make a beautiful, colourful celebration that was both art and functional.

Her first quilt, for her son, took two years, so she rushed to make her daughter a quilt before she was born. Jodi finished her degree, became a ‘stay at home mum’, began selling at markets and eventually ran a little store in the main street of Newcastle, NSW.

When Jodi and her husband, Tim, lost their 3rd baby before birth, she closed up the shop and started making lots and lots of quilts. “Something about putting those colours together and snuggling under them while quilting felt like coming home and becoming myself.”

Jodi started selling English Paper Pieces after building a custom designed laser cutter with Tim. Tales of Cloth uses ethically sourced Australian manufactured products and provides jobs in the local community. All of their paper and packaging is recycled and recyclable and made only a few hours away from them.

Keera lives in gorgeous rural Australia with her cattle farmer husband and two little girls, where she spends her days drawing and designing, teaching and hosting little-girl tea-parties on her favourite quilts!

Keera feels blessed to share her love of fabric, colour, quilts and design; which emerged at an early age on the floor of her Grandma’s sewing room.

The Keera Job Design Studio started with a far-away dream and a personal blog, journalling her life and love, fabric and quilting.LIVE.LOVE.SEW Pattern Co. patternsand quilts can now be found across the globe, and continue to inspire and share in the stories of their makers.

Keera’s collections consist of quilting fabrics, thread, home textiles, accessories and stationery products. Each design is hand drawn and illustrates her passion for colour and a fresh aesthetic. Keera’s latest work sees an exciting collaboration withRiley Blake Designsand premium Italian thread companyAurifil. The Daisy Days fabric and thread collections pay tribute to gorgeous friendships, child-like wonder and those lazy Sunday, daisy-days she so often craves with her little family.

Sedef is a sewing blogger, fabric designer and quilting author, with a distinctive style that is ‘sweetly modern’. She blogs about sewing, embroidery, and crochet at her website, Down Grapevine Lane, and is a regular contributor to sewing and quilting magazines worldwide.

She designs fabric for US based fabric house Riley Blake Designs, with her next collection due to come out in the middle of 2017. She has recently published her first book, ‘Quilt Petite’ which encompasses her love for all small quilty things, and is currently working on her second book.

Sedef lives in sunny South Australia with her British husband and their two children.

You can find Sedef’s stories on her blog and her patterns and fabric in her shop. You can also follow Sedef on Instagram and Facebook.

Alyce Blyth – Blossom Heart Quilts

Alyce started dabbling in quilting in 2011, but it was her family’s move to Japan in 2012 that really got her going as she realised the community and friendship that came with quilting.

She soon discovered that designing and teaching was where her real quilting passion lay, and Blossom Heart Quilts became the place for doing just that.

Now that she’s back in Australia, she’s thoroughly enjoying being girt by the amazing friends and community in Melbourne.

Alyce’s tutorials, patterns and projects can be found on her blog. You can also follow Alyce on Instagram and Facebook.

Emma Jean Jansen

Emma Jean Jansen has been sewing and making since she was a little girl and completed her first queen size quilt when she was a teenager.

She studied Textile Design at RMIT and has just released her 7th range of fabrics for Australian company Ella Blue available from Charles Parsons.

Emma released her first book, By the Bundle with Lucky Spool Media last year and is known for her use of bright colours and re-take on traditional piecing. Her latest range – Eureka – is in stores now and plays a huge part in this Girt by Sea project!

You can find Emma’s stories on her blog and her patterns and fabric in her shop. You can also follow Emma on Instagram.

Peta Peace – She Quilts Alot

Growing up in a household where stray threads and piles of fabric were as much a part of the furniture as chairs and tables its not surprising that designer Peta Peace followed in her mother and grandmothers footsteps with a love of all things handmade.

Over the years she has dabbled in garment and soft decor sewing but it wasn’t until her first daughter was born that the quilting bug took hold.

Fast forward a few years and most days you will find Peta either at her computer dreaming up new designs or at her sewing machine doing what she loves best… making quilts she hopes will encourage and inspire people everywhere to give this fabulous craft a try.

You can follow along with Peta’s quilting journey on her blog and website. You can find her patterns in her shop and follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

Sponsors

Check out the awesome and generous sponsors. These guys have the foresight to be early adopters! If you're a wholesaler, bricks & mortar store, designer or otherwise quilty connected and would like to join our current sponsors... Read more →